SCRANTON — Building Blocks Learning Center — which established its first location in Plains Twp. in 2001 — plans to open its newest facility this March in Scranton, said Zubeen Saeed, the organization’s founder and chief operating officer.
Saeed said her mission hasn’t wavered throughout the past 20-plus years.
“I opened that (first) location for the purpose that I wanted to create a space where children were valued and respected, and we were a resource for families,” she said during a preview event for the new center on Thursday. “And 25 years later, opening our 13th location, I’m proud to say we still believe in the basic foundation of what the company was started on.”
The facility is expected to employ about 25 people and can accommodate about 150 students ranging from infants — 6 weeks old — to children 5 years of age, Saeed said.
“We’re going to create an environment where we are not only academically preparing these children, but we’re also socially and emotionally supporting them,” she said. “I’m excited to work with the mayor because I know she’s working progressively on creating an environment that is supportive and synergistic.”
Saeed also praised developer John Basalyga — who owns the property at 130 Wyoming Ave. — for his ingenuity with the project.
“It was just an abandoned building and somebody saw something in it and collaborated with us,” she said.
Basalyga believes Building Blocks will serve as a valuable part of Scranton’s downtown revitalization.
“Over the years, I have been proud to bring new businesses, residents and energy back into downtown Scranton,” he said. “Every investment I’ve made, across dozens of properties, has been driven by one mindset: growth. Building Blocks is a perfect example of that vision. Not only are they opening a high-quality, early childhood education center, but above their space will soon be new apartments bringing even more families and life into the heart of Scranton. These are the kinds of projects that show what’s possible when we invest in our city’s future.”
People tour the entrance where parents will drop off their children at the The Building Blocks Learning Center in Scranton Thursday, January 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A classroom in The Building Blocks Learning Center in Scranton Thursday, January 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A section on the first floor of The Building Blocks Learning Center in Scranton Thursday, January 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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People tour the entrance where parents will drop off their children at the The Building Blocks Learning Center in Scranton Thursday, January 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti expressed gratitude toward Building Blocks officials for choosing Scranton for the next location.
“We’ve been talking about the need for more child care and better childhood education options across the city and across Northeastern Pennsylvania for a long time,” she said. “You guys have put the money in, the vision in, to make sure that we’re realizing that vision. This will add jobs in the child care space and most importantly a place for more kids in Scranton to come, learn and become anything they want to be.”
Building Blocks — which has locations in the areas of Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, the Back Mountain, Mountain Top, Hazleton and the Lehigh Valley — will occupy the entire first floor and about half of the second floor of the former Wells Fargo bank building.
In addition to the learning center, the building will have 13 apartments — three on the second floor and 10 on the third floor — which are currently under construction, Basalyga said.